Review: DRIS 28lb BP/W System

[ddmattos]

I'm not familar with this kit, but it seems with 28 lbs on your rig, you have no ditchable weight. In the event of an issue with your bcd or whatever, it could be a challenge ascending to the surface. The other thought, is that if you wanted to switch to doubles in the future, the BP would be too heavy so you would have to get another BP as well. However, as has been pointed out, the price is right. How heavy is the BP?

The 28lbs is referring to the lift capacity of the wing, not weight.

A standard size SS bp is usually 5 to 6 lbs. I use it for both single and doubles. No need to buy an additional aluminum plate. Unless of course, you want one.

 

[vancouverdiver]

ha ha. Of course. Silly me! LOL!

 

[BVickery]

Sorry, we don't carry long or short plates. Just standard size.

One of the reasons I had to glance over the deal. Being 6'7 and already had a local instructor help me out. Regular sized BP's are just to small for me. But have told a few 'normal' sized friends about the deal though, not sure if they checked it out though.

 

[sealsix14]

Is it possible to Interchange the Wings to dive doubles and Singles? I like this package but was just curious as to if it is possible or worth it to do that?

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

Yeup That is a pretty easy thing to do. You just take out the STA, and add your new wing along with your dubz. The plate and harness interchange relatively easy.

 

[Deep South Divers]

SealSix, where in GA are you? I'm just north of Savannah... You're welcome to come see how a backplate and wing work if you'd like... They all work equally well for doubles and singles.

 

[sealsix14]

Deep South, I'm actually at Georgia Southern at school now so I'm in Statesboro. I would love to come by sometime and see how it works. I've been looking and not many dive shops carry bp/w in their store and always have to order it.

---------- Post added April 9th, 2012 at 03:34 PM ----------

DRIS, Thanks for the info. I figured you could do that but wanted to make sure.

 

[Deep South Divers]

Yep, same experience here years ago when I was looking. Some things never change.

Sure, that sounds great... My phone is 843-252-4500. Call or text me anytime. My name is SeaJay. Yes, even in real life.

I remember back in 2003 or 2004 - the better part of a decade ago - I was looking for a new BC and wanted to weigh the options including a backplate and wing. I could find no shop that carried them, and of course, since they didn't, according to them, backplates and wings were for cave divers and "weirdos." Most of those people are long gone with closed shops and bankruptcy and other issues - they really did me a disservice not showing me what I clearly wanted to buy. Idiots.

Anyway, I did find one shop in Walterboro, SC (about an hour north of me) that carried them, but they were much too busy to help me... They simply showed me a system and explained nothing. I did rent one, though, and took it to a local river to dive it and check it out. Honestly, I didn't see much difference in the way that it dove from any other BC at the time... But I could see the advantage of the modularity of it, so I purchased one from Extreme Exposure in High Springs, FL, on a trip to Ginnie Springs. They DID fit me properly - Doug (now the owner's brother in law and manager of the store) took his time with me and did a fantastic job fitting me and things really started to come together with the system.

Within a few months I was taking my first Fundies class (writeup here: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/21992-dir-class-truth-comes-out.html ) and really learning to DIVE - with buoyancy control and precision that I'd never experienced before. Read the thread. You'll get a kick out of it.

Anyway, there is no way in heck I'd have been able to progress into the precision that I did without a rock-solid BC system that was easily adjustable in every way, equipped with a crotch strap, and had the stability and proper weighting of a backplate. To that end, I owe the very fact that I became a commercial diver to the fact that I was able to progress, and I owe the fact that I was able to progress to a properly fit backplate and wing.

I owe a properly fit backplate and wing to Doug at EE, and I owe knowing to ask about a backplate and wing in the first place to Scubaboard. Yes, then and now, dive shops do not tend to support backplates and wings - at least, not outside of cave country. The reasons are because there's not a lot of markup in them, they require a lot of personalized attention to be fit properly (most shops would rather just hand you an off-the-shelf BC and expect for you to fit yourself with a sloppier system), and of course, backplate and wing owners never need to buy another BC.

FWIW, I wrote about my experience choosing to dive a backplate and wing here: DEEP SOUTH DIVERS - Your Underwater Specialists! Hope you'll read it... There's a lot of great info there, if I do say so myself, and helps to clarify the decision-making process much better than a shop lackey simply putting you in the most expensive BC he sells and asking you, "How does it feel?" Duh. A snowsuit feels really nice too... So do warm jammies. That doesn't mean they're gonna be a good choice in BCs.

Anyway, yes... Text me or call me. I may have a job to do in Savannah tomorrow, and/or you can come here to Beaufort if you'd like to stop by the shop (commercial workshop, not retail store). I can probably show you two or three different backplates and wings if you want to see different brand names, and of course, different sized wings, too.

Let me know.

If you bring your dive gear (whatever you've got), maybe we can even splash and do a dive or two.

SeaJay

 

[sealsix14]

Thanks for the info, I'll definitely read those posts. It's also good to hear I'm not the only one having issues finding bp/w setup's at shops around me. This week is busy with school but i'll drop you a text and maybe I can get out to Beaufort this coming weekend or if your in Savannah that could work even better. I'll let you know though, and thanks again for your help!

 

[Deep South Divers]

Hey, for what it's worth, Eddie at Fantasia Scuba in Savannah, GA has a couple of backplates and wings on display and for sale. I gotta warn you, though... While Eddie is an expert in a lot of ways, backplates and wings are not one of them. If you tell him I said that I will deny.

The brands that he has on display are ones that I've never heard of, and I've been doing this a long time... Here on SB, which is global. For me to not recognize a brand name is... Well... Unsettling.

Both backplates and wings that he had on display were ridiculously equipped. One of the systems had two wings on it at the same time (not redundant bladders like you might see in some systems) for a total of something like 130 pounds of lift! It'd be roughly like swimming around with a raft strapped to your back. Or two, even. He said that they were "very popular," but I have never seen one like that before, never heard of anyone using such a large wing (or two), and know nobody who would. And our dive community here is rather tight-knit!

Additionally, one of the systems had two crotch straps, and both of the systems had large, padded, overcomplicated straps and plastic buckles and adjustments all over it. It looked more like a parachute harness than a backplate and wing, except that in parachuting, they don't like plastic buckles either.

I do not recommend letting that system be your first impression of a backplate and wing... But it is there, FYI.

Give me a call and talk to me or any one of my guys and they will all point you in the right direction regarding backplates and wings.